Thursday, July 21, 2016

My youngest daughter has been pushing for more posts. She commented that she had read the July post a few times and I was reminded how remiss I have been about posting. I have been extremely lazy this month. The month of July can do that to you. A little heat, the lazy summer days, it can seem like you have all the time in the world to get to those projects you wanted to do. So without further ado, here is a recap of what I've been up to the past 2 weeks.

It goes without saying, I have been spending quite a lot of time in the garden. Mostly sitting and watching the birds and the baby rabbit that seems to have moved in. I love the flowers and being outside. Memories of that keep me going during cold Michigan winters.

Mornings in the garden are my favorite. Those nasturtiums in the background are almost past their prime. They seem to bloom profusely and then start to die off.

Which led to me getting up super early and being at the Farmer's Market first thing this morning to find some replacements. Now is a great time to refresh your garden if it's feeling a little tired. The flowers are all on sale, and if you get there first thing, you get first choice! Today I found three beautiful hanging baskets of pink geraniums for only $20 for all three, a flat of Dusty Miller for $5 to add to the flat of red petunias I got last week for $5. The tired nasturtiums will get ripped out (sad) and the new plants will replace them. I also got a few assorted potted flowers for $1 each. Score!

I've had fun letting a few of the chickens out to roam the yard while I'm out there to supervise. We have foxes, coyotes and hawks galore so I never let them roam when I'm in the house. The neighbors have a dog too, so to keep the girls safe they get to play when I do. I do love having them in the garden with me :)

Last night we had fresh beans and beets from the garden. The beets were roasted in the oven and then sliced and used in greek salads. Along with the beans, they made a delicious dinner. It's always fun to finally harvest what has been growing.

And that's all the news that's fit to print! Next week we get a visit from our daughter and her husband who live in Pennsylvania. I just can't wait. A whole week with them is just too wonderful to imagine. Needless to say, it may be August before you hear from me again. Enjoy the rest of July and try to stay cool. Believe it or not, we will miss the long days and sunshine of summer when the December winds are swirling snow.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

I sure hope you had a spectacular Independence day! Again, where is the time going? Can it be July already, and more than half way through the year? I closed the etsy shop for the summer, hey, I'm my own boss shouldn't there be advantages to that? I need to take a step back, figure out where I am going with that and so many other things. I thought if I took that off my plate I would be able to relax a bit and still get so much done. Instead, my head is spinning and I can't decide whether I am overwhelmed with free time or overwhelmed with all the things I see that should be filling it. At any rate, I'm trying to slow down and take things one day at a time. No worries about tomorrow's to do list. But it's hard. I'm a planner, an over thinker, a worrier. Anyone else like that?

So here are the amazing things I have gotten done. I switched out the pansies in the front door basket for ivy and peonies. Am I making your head spin?

I repainted the front porch floor, that was something that had been bothering me, and now it's done. Yay! I also started painting the little building we call "the garage". It isn't big enough to actually park a car in, but it's filled with the lawn tractor, snow blower, rakes, shovels, you know, all the things you need when you have a yard. It's most of the way done and looking so good! Next, paint the porch swing, work on quilts that I have started, and re-do the front garden,

My list makes me tired just looking at it. Good thing we had a relaxing day with our youngest daughter for the 4th. She made a fabulous cookout meal for us, grilled by her sweet hubby, and topped it all off with home made blueberry, raspberry short cake with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.,because we believe in gilding the lily whenever possible. :)